Canon PowerShot
S90
 vs
Sony Cyber-shot
DSC-W290

Updated (August, 2010): Compare the Canon PowerShot S95 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290

Canon PowerShot S90

68

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot S90

Aperture
 Wide aperture
f/2.0
Size
 Really small
Compact 100x58x30 mm
Sensor size
 Large sensor
1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
12,800 ISO
Weight
 Light-weight
198 g
Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290

54

Reasons to buy the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290

Size
 Really small
Compact 98x57x23 mm
Thickness
 Thin
0.9"
Weight
 Light-weight
167 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon S90
Aperture Much wider aperture f/2.0 vs f/3.3
Help
 At its widest zoom, the S90's lens captures much more light (1.4 f-stops)
Sensor size Much larger sensor 1/1.7" 7.6x5.7mm vs 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm
Help
 More than 50% larger sensor
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 461k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 2x higher resolution screen
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 10 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Longest exposure Longer exposures 15s vs 2s
Help
 7.5x longer exposures
Canon PowerShot S90 Learn more about
the Canon S90

Advantages of the Sony DSC-W290
Size Significantly smaller 98x57x23 mm vs 100x58x30 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Movie format Higher resolution movies 720p @ 30fps vs 480p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots high resolution HD (720p) video
Thickness Significantly thinner 0.9" vs 1.2"
Help
 Around 30% thinner
Weight Lighter 167 g vs 198 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Zoom Slightly more zoom 5x vs 3.8x
Help
 Around 80% more zoom
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 1.8 fps vs 0.9 fps
Help
 2x faster continuous shooting
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 Learn more about
the Sony DSC-W290
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent compacts, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot S90 Canon PowerShot S90
68 vs 54
Explain scores
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon PowerShot S90. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a pro digicam with a compact.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot S90
 Canon PowerShot S90 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
SonyCyber-shot DSC-W290
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
0
0
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
0
Vote Vote
Features Low light image quality Low light image quality
Lack of noise, sharp details
0
0
Vote Vote
Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
0
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
0
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
0
0
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/1600 of a second
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot S100

Canon Powershot S100

Pro digicam

$414 - $430
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Wide angle Has a significantly wider wide angle lens
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Powershot S100 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9v

Travel zoom

$289 - $328
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the PowerShot S90
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX9v vs the Cyber-shot DSC-W290

Canon PowerShot S90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot S95

Canon PowerShot S95

Pro digicam

$369
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Compare the PowerShot S95 vs the PowerShot S90
Nikon Coolpix P300

Nikon Coolpix P300

Pro digicam

$277
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the Coolpix P300 vs the PowerShot S90
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Pro digicam

$707
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Weight Significantly heavier
Light sensitivity (boost) Worse boost ISO
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX3 vs the PowerShot S90
Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS

Travel zoom

$219 - $304
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Zoom Much more zoom
Aperture Much narrower aperture
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Compare the PowerShot SX230 HS vs the PowerShot S90
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Pro digicam

$320 - $468
Wide angle Significantly better wide angle
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Size Much larger
Weight Much heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-LX5 vs the PowerShot S90

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony Cybershot DSC-W570

Sony Cybershot W570

Ultra compact

$129
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Size Smaller
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
True resolution Slightly lower true resolution
Compare the Cybershot W570 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350

Ultra compact

$139 - $183
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Size Smaller
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-W350 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Sony Cybershot DSC-W550

Sony Cybershot DSC-W550

Compact

$127
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Macro focus Significantly better macro capability
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Image stabilization Worse image stabilization
Compare the Cybershot DSC-W550 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Sony Cybershot W530

Sony Cybershot DSC-W530

Ultra compact

$89 - $95
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Macro focus Significantly better macro capability
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the Cybershot DSC-W530 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W310

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W310

Ultra compact

$111 - $127
Aperture Wider aperture
Macro focus Significantly better macro capability
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-W310 vs the Cyber-shot DSC-W290

appearance

Canon PowerShot S90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Canon PowerShot S90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Canon PowerShot S90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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